


A Glimpse Into The Past

by Living_Free



Series: Slip and Slide [43]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Batfamily, Bruce being secretly sweet, Crack, Cute, Damian and his many animals, Dick being Damian's mom, Drama, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Jason's Bro Radar, Kid Fic, M/M, Tim thirsting for a good squeeze, Wayne family history time!, batboys being adorable, batbros, kind of, old technology ahoy!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-22 06:25:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19661659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Living_Free/pseuds/Living_Free
Summary: The family gets a glimpse of a different time,When everything looked to be sublime.However, questions then come to the fore,and Bruce must deter Jason from causing some gore.





	A Glimpse Into The Past

Another day, another cleaning spree, Jason thought sourly as he dug through the mounds of ancient junk in the attic that Alfred had tasked him and the boys to clean through. "Yeet," Jason said, as he chucked a silver goblet from time immemorial into the box labelled 'Donate to Museum'.

"Have a care, Todd," Damian chasized him. "Some of these items are relics, more valuable than beyond your wildest- TODD!"

Jason picked Damian up and dropped him into the box labelled 'Unknown Wayne Junk'. "Yoot," he said, as he dropped Damian in, leaving Dick to extract his baby brother while Tim and Jason shared high fives and lad-like chest bumps.

"This is preposterous!" Damian cried, ass Dick dusted him off. "I am not junk!"

"Of course not, Dami," Dick agreed, "you're the most precious little Wayne!"

"Thank you, Grayson," Damian sniffed, as Dick rained a thousand tiny kissies of validation on top of his head. "I shall now do- ARGH!"

What Damian would do was forever left unsaid, as the boy went tumbling over a previously hidden carboard box. "Unbelievable," Damian grouched from where he lay in a pile.

Jason pulled the box out and examined it. "It's labelled 'Happy Memories'," he said, "and it looks like Bruce's handwriting."

"Ooh, lets violate his privacy," Tim said, as he opened the box with ihs dainty fingers, to reveal..."Tapes."

Tim drew out an old, bulky VCR tape and held it up. "Behold, a man!"

"Shut up, Diogenes," Jason said, and pushed Tim back, who fell over with a squeak and flattened Damian, who was just starting to sit up again.

"Argh! I am felled once more!" Damian cried, and went down again.

"Hey, we have an old VCR, don't we?" Jason asked. "We could totally watch these. Let's bring the box down."

"To the movie theatre!" Tim squeaked. Once there, Tim dug out an old VCR and started it up. "The casette!" Tim demanded. Jason handed it over and Tim loaded it in. The screen began to buzz ominously, and the boys drew back.

"Gather the family!" Jason called.

Dick pulled out his phone and went on the family groupchat.

DICK: everyone come to the movie theatre!! We found some old tapes!!

CASS: coming.

STEPH: yooo

JASON: someone bring popcorn

ALFRED: The buttery or the sweet, Master Jason?

JASON: I can't decide.

ALFRED: I shall bring both. YOLO, as they say.

BRUCE: I'll be there in a bit, I'm a bit busy.

Bruce was busy. He was very, very busy trying to get out of the fuzzy handcuffs that Selina had slapped on him before slipping out of the window after a night of rauncy lovemaking.

Alfred walked in with the two large popcorn bowls and set it down before settling down on his armchair. Damian immediately squigglied over to sit on the armrest next to him, a subtle prompt to scooch up so that Damian could wedge himself inbetween Alfred and the sofa crease. Alfred smiled and allowed Damian to wriggle inbetween, fond of his little grandson.

Dick had retrieved Terry and Wally, who were dressed in matching red eyesore outfits, and snuggled up to his not-so-big but stronger-than-the-average-hero man. "My lovely Wally," Dick cooed, ad pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Terry, Terry, do the thing that Uncle Jay taught you," Jason urged the baby.

Terry looked up and gaily exclaimed, "YUCK!"

Jason gave him a tiny high five. "That's my boy."

Tim looked around at his adult siblings, all tucked up with their partners, and pouted. "Aw man, poor Timmy is all cold and alone without the warm, throbbing biceps of his Kon to wrap around him and squeeze him gently and sexily. Big time sad."

"Here, I'll squeeze you," Jason said, and wrapped his hands around Tim's slender throat.

"Eep!" Tim cried, and shimmed out of his grip to the safety of the Grayson-West nest, where he curled up on top of Dick like a small, angry, kitten. Once perched to his liking, he ordered, "Begin the video!"

The screen crackled alive with an image of a man who was unmistakably a younger Bruce. "Ah the good old days," Jason commented, "when Bruce didn't dye his hair."

"Wow," Dick marvelled, "what year was this? Bruce looks about the same age as I am now."

"I do believe that you are correct, Master Richard," Alfred said, as a little boy came careening into the shot, pouncing onto Bruce's chest.

"Bruce! You're home!"

Everyone's jaws dropped. "Dick!?" Jason exclaimed. "That's baby Dickhead!"

On the screen, little Dick continued to cling to Bruce like a koala. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, chum," Bruce grinned, and placed a kiss to the boy's head. "What did you get up to with Alfred while I was gone?"

Tim goggled at this freely affectionate Bruce. "He...he kissed you," Tim stuttered. "Like the kissies you give Damian now."

"He used to do it all the time when I was a kid," Dick commented.

The scene cut off, only to restart when Bruce was in bed, with little Dick curled up next to him, fast asleep. Bruce was now speaking to Alfred behind the camera.

"He came in during the middle of the night," Bruce was whispering. "I didn't even notice until I felt him snuggle up to me. His stealth has really improved, I'm so proud."

"As you should be," Alfred muttered proudly. "Master Richard is a very talented young man."  
"Hey, Alfred, watch this," Bruce suddenly grinned, and poked Dick's little baby cheeks. Immediately, Dick opened his eyes, and seeing Bruce, grinned and clambered over to lie on top of him.

"G'morning B!"

"Good morning, Dickie."

The video cut off there, and Jason paused the video to goggle at Dick. "That was surreal," he whispered. "It was like Pure Bruce from the Alternate Universe."

"Bruce was very affectionate with me when I was a kid," Dick said. "After patrol, we used to snuggle under the Bat-blanket and drink Bat-cocoa. If I'd fall asleep, he'd carry me up to bed. That's the Bruce that I grew up knowing."

A new scene started up as Jason, unable to take the assault of fluffiness, shoved in a new tape, to his own detriment, as the scene opened to a baby Jason. "No!"

"Yes!" Dick cawed, delighted.

Baby Jason was yanking at a school tie at his neck and scowling. "What'cha doin' Jaybird?" A voice called out from behind the camera.

"Ooooh, I remember this!" Dick cried.

Baby Jason continued to yank at the bow. "This thing is suffocating me," he complained. "It's a collar to keep the proles in their position to be yanked about by the upper classes! I refuse to wear this abomination!"

Bruce appeared on the scene and undid the tie, and then started to redo it. "If you tie it like that, of course it's going to choke you," he said amusedly. "And you can't opt out of the school uniform."

"Are you glad to start your first day of your new school, Jaybird?" Dick's voice sang.

"Whoopee."

"Technically, it's Jason's first day of high school, since he tested out of his grade," Bruce said proudly. "My son is very smart, just like his daddy."

Present day, Jason gagged, because Bruce was referring to himself as Jason's daddy, oh my god.

"Bruce, give Jason a hug!" Dick demanded from behind the camera.

Bruce did, while Jason squiggled like a worm. "Yech."

Dick squealed, and there was a sudden puff of glitter onscreen. "Oh my god, Dick had his magical princess powers from back then!" Jason cried. "I can't believe that no one noticed!"

The scene shifted to that of a slightly older and taller Jason, stood in front of a mirror with Bruce. "Go against the grain," Bruce was saying as he observed Jason's first shave. "Careful, now," he fretted. "Should I do it for you? Here, let me-"

"Oh my god, Bruce, you'd think that you'd never seen you son shave before," Jason grumbled.

"I haven't," Bruce said.

"What, you never taught Dick?"

"I don't think Dick can grow facial hair," Bruce admitted. "And Barbara taught him how to wax his body hair." Bruce looked at the camera. "Dick has freakisly smooth skin. But he can never find out that we think that his skin feels like a slug."

"Assuredly not, Master Bruce," Alfred's voice came from behind the camera.

"Traitors!" Present day Dick shrieked.

Eventually, Jason managed a clean shave. "Ta-da," he showed off. "Not a nick in sight."

"My boy is becoming a man," Bruce choked out emotionally. "Alfred, I have raised two young men. I have achieved peak Dad."

The video cut out at point, and wanting more, Jason rummaged deep within the box, drawing out an old tape and bunging it in the VCR.

The opening scene showed a stange infant that no one had ever seen before. "Mystery child, who are you?" Jason pondered aloud.

"That is Master Timothy," Alfred informed them.

"What! How come you didn't recognize yourself?" Jason asked Tim.

"I never saw my baby photos before," Tim shrugged. "I don't think my parents kept any."

Dick's heart broke and he sobbed. He couldn't imagine not having keepsakes of Terry, his beautiful, cherished, baby boy.

"Drake, you poor fool," Damian said, patting Tim's hand gently.

"Did you have to sneak the 'fool' in there?"

"You made Grayson cry."

"With the truth!"

"Well, you should have considered his fragile emotions when it comes to you. He treats you like a rose petal."

"Aw yiss, finally somebody acknowledges Timmy's delicate skin that he bathes in milk and honey and lavender to maintain. Thanks Dick," Tim beamed.

"You're welcome," Dick sniffled happily.

The video continued with a woman who was clearly Janet Drake holding Tim. Everyone fell silent and watched Tim. Tim simply continued to watch impassively, blinking like an owl. Finally, he spoke. "Guys, relax. It's just my mom, I know what she looks like, I'm not about to burst into tears."

There was a sigh of relief as they settled back in to watching the video. Janet was speaking to a much younger Bruce, who was watching the baby with wide, googly eyes.

"Honestly, Bruce, you'd think that you've never seen him before. You delivered him, for god's sake."

There was a gasp at that. Alfred nodded sagely. "It is true. Mrs Drake and Master Bruce were at a conference when her water broke prematurely. Owing to his having a medical degree, Master Bruce was able to deliver Master Timothy safely."

"That probably explains why Bruce is so protective of you," Dick mused. "He's never seen any of us as babies before, but he held you, saved your life when you were just a little, pink blob thing. He has a different image of you than he does with us. He still thinks of you as his baby."

"Oh god," Tim groaned, watching his past self flail on camera, as Janet transferred him to Bruce's arms.

"Remember that he needs to be fed in two hours," Janet was saying.

"We really appreciate you taking Tim for the weekend, Bruce," Jack said on screen. "This meeting just popped up out of nowhere, and-"

The video camera now purposefully focused on Bruce holding Tim, looking at him as though he was the most precious jewel in all the lands. Soon after, Jack and Janet left, and Bruce stumbled to the sofa in a fugue.

"Alfred," Bruce said, looking at the camera, "Alfred, he's so small."

"He is, Master Bruce."

Bruce looked back at baby Tim. "Look, when I touch his tummy, he smiles."

Bruce poked Tim's tiny tummy. Tim smiled.

"Oh my god, that's where his obsession wth tummy rubs began!" Jason cried. "It's Bruce's fault!"

Another scene came up, this time with a slightly older baby Timmy sitting in a high chair, with Alfred feeding him fruit goop. Tim was babbling to him, while Alfred nodded and answered his babbles with "quite right, Master Timothy", and "oh, rather". Then Alfred turned to the camera and said, "Would you like to feed him, Master Bruce?"

The camera switched hands and Bruce appeared, looking unsure about feeding little Timmy. The minute Tim smiled at him, however, Bruce melted into a big pile of goo, and started to feed an enthusiastic Tim.

The scene changed yet again, this time to a more recognizable child Tim, and a noticably more ragged looking Bruce. If Tim was here, then that would mean...

Jason had just died.

Silence fell over the room again, only to be broken by Jason. "Oh my god, he's so small," Jason marvelled. "I can't believe that Bruce let my successor be such a shortstack."

Tim squeaked with affront, and threw a pillow at Jason. "Weak!" Jason declared, and took the pillow as his own.

They went back to watching the video as Bruce fretted with Tim's hair - a still ongoing battle.

"It won't lie still," Bruce muttered. "Why won't it lie flat?" Bruce pressed Tim's hair flat with both his hands, enveloping his tiny head, causing Tim to giggle. Bruce was caught up in the gggles for a second, before he stopped abruptly, his expression haggard. Tim fell quiet as well, and the video shut off abruptly.

"Well fuck," Jason said loudly, "that won't do. As the subject of the death in question, I insist that we end this movie night on a happy note."

He rummaged through the box until he reached the oldest cassette - an old Sony Betamax from 1975. "Oh wow," Jason said. "Jackpot! Wonder what's on this."

The video took a long time to pop up, and for a while, they feared that the footage was lost to time. Then suddenly, the image popped up on screen.

"No," Jason breathed.

"It can't be," Tim breathed.

"Baby Bruce," Dick gasped, as a slightly grainy image of baby Bruce Wayne waddled determinedly across the screen, with Thomas Wayne cheering him on.

Point to be noted - baby Bruce was running away from his mother, who was following him with the diaper he had abandoned.

"No! It is father's buttocks!" Damian cried. "Oh the indignity!"

Baby Bruce looked quite content to run around with his indignity out, though, even as Martha chided her husband about his cheering on their son's rebellious tendencies. Suddenly, Bruce stopped in the video, and turned to face the camera. "Alf!" He beamed, and waddled forward to Alfred behind the camera. "Alf!"

"Get him, Alfred!" Martha called. "Get that diaper on him!"

Thomas took the camera to reveal a young Alfred, complete with a full head of hair. The children gasped, never having seen Alfred without his wise, bald, head.

"Hello here Master Bruce," Young Alfred said.

"Hewwo," Bruce said adorably.

"Would you like to wear your diaper? I shall dust your bottom with that nice lavender powder that I know you are partial to," Alfred smiled softly.

Bruce giggled as Alfred picked him up and began diapering the errant baby and his bum. "That's amazing, Alfred," Martha sighed. "I don't know how you do it."

"Master Bruce is a young man of discerning tastes," Alfred explained. "Even at this young age, he knows that the mild and pleasing scent of lavender is superior to all other flowers. He is easily swayed by the promises of said powder."

"How can he discern anything?" Thomas asked. "He's as big as my shoe, he can't discern shi-"

"Thomas!"

"Hi Martha!"

"Thomas don't you dare swear in front of the baby!"

"Aw, come on-"

The video cut off, and plunged the room into silence. It took a while for anyone to recover. "So," Jason started, then failed. He tried again. "So...that was Bruce's butt."

"Really?" Tim asked scathingly. "You see a piece of family history previously unknown, and all you can point out is Bruce's tiny butt?"

"Dude, it was so tiny," Jason said. "How many squats do you think he had to do to get it to where it is now?"

"Oh my god, so many," Tim said in awe, having never thought about this angle before. Was Bruce's natural butt flat?

"Dami?" Dick said quietly, "You're awfully quiet, bug."

Damian stared at the now blank screen, still in a haze. "Those were...my grandparents," he said.

"Yeah, baby. They were grandma and grandpa," Dick said, rubbing Damian's tiny arm.

"They...Grandmother...I look like her."

"Yeah, you do a bit," Dick said. "You're very cute, like her."

"You have her nose, Master Damian," Alfred said. "It is a very fetching nose."

Damian beamed, and snuggled minutely closer to Alfred. "Thank you, Pennyworth." Then, "Are there more tapes?"

"Some," Tim said.

"There are none of me, though," Damian noticed. "That is fair, seeing as I only came to live here relatively recently, and the technology has evolved, but..." Damian petered off, looking unsure. "I...I have never seen father filming me."

Danger! Danger! Child in emotional distress! Jason's big brother senses were going wild, and he looked over at Tim and Dick in a panic.

"Does father not bother anymore?" Damian looked down at the box. "Those are his happy memories...does he have any of me?"

"Shut up, of course we have happy memories of you," Tim said quickly. "Dick takes loads of photos of you."

"You do?" Damian asked.

Dick perked up. "Of course, Dami!" He pulled out his phone and flicked through his gallery, showing pictures of Damian holding Terry. Damian going to college with Jason whilst seated behind him on Jason's bike. Damian and Tim asleep on each other. Damian by himself, reading a book. Damian painting Cass' nails. Steph holding something out of Damian's reach and laughing as he yelled at her. Damian and Wally taking Terry for a walk...

It was sickening, Jason thought mildly, but it seemed to do the trick. Still, someone needed to have a word with Bruce.

There needed to be some improvement, and it needed to be now.

***

Meanwhile, Bruce had ensconced himself in his study, finally free of the fuzzy handcuffs. He was looking at the family's financial statements - so much money, wow, Tim was such a scheming little clever boy - when the door was flung open and Jason barged in.

Bruce could scarcely get a word out before Jason planted his knee on Bruce's lap and leaned in. Oh no, Jason was mad, Bruce deduced. The last time Jason was mad at him, it was from finding out that Terry was biologically Bruce's child, and assumed that Bruce was going to take him away from Dick.

Bruce had never wanted to be on that end of Jason's rage ever again, and yet here he was now, feeling very rightfully scared.

"Er," Bruce said. "Can I help you, Jason?"

"Yeah, you can help me," Jason seethed, "by being a decent parent to your son!"

Bruce quickly jogged through his memory. Breakfast with Dick, work with Tim, training with everyone, taking Tim to the Purity Room...what had he done to warrant this?  
"Um, could you be more specific?"

"We found your happy memories tapes in the attic-"

"Oh yay, I was looking for those-"

"-and there's nothing of Damian! I know you don't use VCR anymore, but there has to be something-"

"There is," Bruce said, bemused. Jason stopped his tirade midway and stared. "Jason," Bruce said slowly, "you didn't seriously think that I had no mementos of Damian's did you? I have loads," he said, and pulled up the security feeds.

Jason looked at the computer screen and saw...Damian chasing after his chickens. Damian trying to meditate while Tim gushed on the phone to Kon, before giving up and beaning Tim over the head with his meditation pillow. Damian taking Terry for a walk with Dick and Wally. Damian helping Alfred trim the hedges. Damian secretly trying to mimic Cass' ballet moves and faceplanting and then cursing to high heaven.

"The security feeds in the common areas record everything," Bruce explained, "and a the end of each month, I go through the records to pick out the best moments feauring each of you. These are the ones I have of Damian. Not to mention the ones of him doing 'common things' like taking care of the animals that I record and send to Talia to vex her."

Jason stared at the footage, then at Bruce, before removing the leg pinning Bruce to the chair, looking sheepish. "Er. Sorry 'bout that, Old Mold," Jason apologized.

"Your heart was in the right place," Bruce said, "although I wish you'd use your mouth to speak first before assaulting me."

"Sorry."

Bruce sighed. "Some of those memory tapes are Alfred's."

"Yeah, we saw the one of you as a baby. The one where you were naked."

"Oh no."

"Damian had a slight breakdown about grandma and grandpa Wayne."

"Oh, he finally figured out where his nose comes from, then?"

"It's that obvious, huh?"

"He looks startlingly similar to my mother. It's why I didn't even bother to question if he was mine. It's so obvious."

"I didn't realize that you look like your mom. More so than your dad, really," Jason observed.

"I know," Bruce said proudly. "My father cried when he realized that the saga of the Crooked Wayne Nose had come to an end at last. My mother's side of the family had beautiful noses in various shapes. Look at your aunt Kate, for example."

"What's the story behind that?" Jason asked, poking Bruce's admittedly beautiful, aquiline nose that was not at all like Damian's little button mushroom nose.

"Father always said that it was a witch's curse on the Waynes for being one of the Puritans."

"Wow, you're weird," Jason said admiringly.

"Your dad was very...ebullient," Jason said.

"He was, yes. Always happy."

  
"Then why are you the way you are?"

"I've undergone severe trauma, Jason," Bruce frowned.

"Dick's undergone severe trauma as well, he's pretty happy."

"Dick isn't normal."

"True."

They fell into a contented silence that usually came from mocking Dick. "Hey, you wanna join us in the theatre room?" Jaosn asked. "Damian and Alfred are snuggled up together and they look adorable."

Bruce grinned. How could he turn down that invitation?

"Lead on, lad. Lead on."

***  
***


End file.
